Wells College Adds Two to Division of Student Affairs

Karen Green, Dean of Students at Wells College, announces the addition of two new staff members to the Division of Student Affairs. These appointments come at a time when college leaders are creating initiatives to enrich the liberal arts experience by making stronger connections between the classroom and campus life.  Joining the Division of Student Affairs are:

Meagen P. Mulherin, Director of Student Activities

Meagen P. Mulherin earned her master's degree in higher education administration from Syracuse University and her bachelor's degree from Elmira College. In her new position Mulherin is a senior member of the Division of Student Affairs and is responsible for:

• planning campus-wide events
• student orientation programs
• development of the college master calendar
• coordination of Sommer Center operations and activities
• chairing the college's arts and lectures committee
• development of workshops on leadership and membership development for student organizations

Daniel A. Van Vechten, Assistant Dean of Students for Residence Life

Daniel A. Van Vechten earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Syracuse University. In his new position Van Vechten is responsible for coordinating, supervising, and evaluating a full range of residential life programs that are designed to complement and support the educational mission of Wells College. This work includes:

• encouraging and aiding students  and organizations in the development of social, cultural, intellectual, and recreational programs that expand student involvement in the campus community and society
• encouraging students' personal growth and development
• assisting students in leadership development and related skills competencies
• educating students regarding institutional policies and procedures

" Teaching and learning should not be bound by categories of 'in or outside' the classroom," said Dean Green. "All aspects of teaching and learning at Wells must promote and support our mission to educate women in the liberal arts and prepare students for leadership and service to society. I am pleased to welcome these two new professionals to Wells. I know they will make many positive contributions to building a true learning community."

October, 2002

Dances Unveiled - Wells College Presents Annual Fall Dance Concert

The Wells College Performing Arts Department and the Dance Collective present the long-anticipated fall dance concert - Dances Unveiled. There will be two performances only: Friday, November 8 and Saturday, November 9 at 7:30 pm in Phipps Auditorium, Macmillan Hall, on the Wells College campus in Aurora, New York.  Prices are $3.00 for children and students, $6 for seniors and the Wells community, and $10 for the general public. Tickets may be purchased at the college bookstore and the box office the week preceding the show. Please call the box office at 315/364-3456 for reservations.

Faculty and guest choreographers will present seven pieces performed by twelve student dancers, setting a mood which ranges from poignant to jubilant to absurdly comic. A special feature will be "Labyrinth," one of two premieres in the concert, choreographed specifically for this 12-woman ensemble by artistic director and associate professor of dance, Jeanne Goddard.  The piece, performed to a score written by local composer Ethan MacCormick, evokes images of a maze as it winds across the stage, chasing something powerful.  A newspaper headline about the war in Afghanistan, "To Hunt in the Shadows, Get Better Eyes," inspired this piece. "Since visiting Central Asia two years ago," says Goddard, "I’ve become increasingly aware of ancient civilizations and cultures that can be buried or hidden or misunderstood [in that area of the world]. I wanted to bring that awareness to the audience with this piece."

Guest artist Lesley Tillotson of Rochester contributes another premier, a sextet exploring person-to-person relationships, our (un)willingness to make contact with others, and the layers that need to be stripped away to be in touch with other human beings. Tillotson, a member of the dance department faculty at SUNY-Brockport, works in close collaboration with her dancers, drawing some choreographic material from improvisation and asking them to contribute their personal stories to the creative process. Before coming to rehearsal, she asks each dancer to observe "the mechanics of touch, the pressure, the contact points, the distance between the people…" In this way, the dancers draw from life experience to shape the choreography. The dance, Inner Mappings, is set to a score for unaccompanied cello written by Tcherepnin and O’Connor, and performed by Yo Yo Ma.

Dances Unveiled will also include four pieces from Goddard’s repertory.  Four solo works spanning 25 years of choreographic energy open the concert.  The pieces were chosen for contrast style as well as for their music or sound accompaniment; two are comedies and two are more lyrical dances. They will be performed by students from Goddard’s Advanced Repertory course.

Goddard will also perform her own work in a new solo entitled "Something about a lamp…"  This piece will also be danced to a MacCormick score, this time featuring the voice of Wells College professor emeritus Hugo Theimer.

For more information about Dances Unveiled or the Wells College dance program, please contact dance professor Jeanne Goddard at 315/364-3213.

More photos from Dances Unveiled:   Ensemble Photo 1Ensemble Photo 2

October, 2002

Wells College is most pleased to welcome Native environmental activist and former vice presidential candidate Winona LaDuke to campus for a lecture on Tuesday, November 5. Ms. LaDuke will speak in the Chapel in Main Building beginning at 7:00 pm. Her talk is free and the public is warmly invited to hear her speak on “Native American Environments: Struggles for Land and Life.” A question and answer session will follow.

Winona LaDuke, the two-time vice presidential running mate of Ralph Nader, is an acclaimed Native environmental activist and author. She is a member of the Mississippi Band of Anishinaabeg and resides on the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota. LaDuke became involved in Native American activism while a student at Harvard University. At the age of 18, she spoke in front of the United Nations regarding Indian issues and since has become known internationally as a voice for American Indian economic and environmental concerns. She is the program director of the Honor the Earth Fund and founding director of the White Earth Land Recovery Project. Ms. LaDuke has authored several books, including All Our Relations: Struggles for Land and Life, and her most recent, Last Standing Woman. In 1995, she was named one of “50 leaders for the future” by Time magazine. Ms. LaDuke continues to be a spokesperson for the Chippewa people of northern Minnesota, remains active with the Indigenous Women’s Network, an agency which she founded, and teaches Native Environmentalism at the University of Minnesota.

Ms. LaDuke’s presentation on the Wells College campus is sponsored by the Dean of the College, Collegiate, the Dean of Intercultural Programs, the President’s Committee on Diversity, WLLS 101: The First Year Experience, Wells College Greens, the Office of Student Activities, the Division of Social Sciences, Economics and Management, and the departments of International Studies, Psychology, Public Affairs, Sociology and Anthropology, Women’s Studies, and Environmental Policy, Science and Values.

For more information about Winona LaDuke and her lecture, please contact Anthropology professor Ernie Olson at 315/364-3206, Dean of Intercultural Programs Carolyn Morales at 315/364-3312, or visit the website at www.wells.edu. Members of the press may arrange an interview or photo session with Ms. LaDuke following the talk by contacting Gwen Webber-McLeod, director of communications, at 315/364-3260.

October, 2002

Visiting Poet and Short Story Writer Reading at Wells College

The Wells College Visiting Writer Series welcomes poet and short story author Peter Makuck to campus. On Wednesday, November 6, Dr. Makuck will read excerpts from his newly released short story collection entitled Costly Habits. The reading will take place in the Art Exhibit Room in Macmillan Hall at 8:00 pm, and is free and open to the public.

Dr. Makuck has written several short story collections, including Breaking and Entering, published by the University of Illinois Press. One of these stories, “Filling the Igloo,” was selected for publication in The Best of the Southern Review. He also co-edited An Open World, a collection of essays about former Wells College Visiting Writer Leslie Norris.

In addition to fiction, Dr. Makuck is also a distinguished poet. His publications include Where We Live (1982), The Sunken Lightship (1990), and Against Distance (1998). Dr. Makuck received the Zoe Kincaid Brockman Award for his book of poems, Pilgrims, in 1989. His poems have also appeared in Poetry, The Yale Review, The Nation, The Southern Review, and The American Scholar. He received his Ph.D. in American Literature from Kent State University.

Copies of Costly Habits will be available for purchase at the Wells College bookstore and at the reading. The Visiting Writer Series is supported by The New York State Council on the Arts, the Virginia Kent Cummins Writers-In-Residence Fund, and the Mildred Walker Fiction-Writer-In-Residence Fund. Several writers will be on campus during the academic year. For more information about Peter Makuck or the reading, please call Bruce Bennett, Professor of English, at 315-364-3228.

October, 2002

Wells – Great School, Great Price

Wells is ranked #ll nationwide among four-year liberal arts colleges offering quality education at an affordable cost in the 2003 edition of America’s Best Colleges, published by U.S. News & World Report.

We are the highest-rated women’s college in the category this year, coming in above Wellesley (#17), Bryn Mawr (#23), Agnes Scott (#26), and Mount Holyoke (#28).

The ranking was determined by using a formula that compares a school’s academic quality to the cost of attendance for a student receiving the average financial aid package.

“The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal. We consider only schools ranked in the top half of their categories, since we believe the most significant values are among colleges that are above average,” says the report.

The top quality/value ratings this year go to Amherst (#1) and Williams (#2).  Other schools rated in this category include Colgate (#6), Middlebury (#13), and Oberlin (#15).

October, 2002

Awards for Schemings of Scapin

The Wells production of Moliere’s The Schemings of Scapin (performed on September 13 and 14) received numerous merit awards for outstanding accomplishments from the Theatre Association of New York State (TANYS) in the following categories:

• Acting (to the entire cast)
• Directing (to Susan Forbes, associate professor of theatre)
• Scenic, lighting, and mask design (to Joe DeForest, technical director and facilities director)
• Enhancing the production (to musical director, musicians, movement coach, hair and wig designer, stage manager and crew). Associate Professor of Dance Jeanne Goddard was the production’s movement coach, and Visiting Instructor of Music Victor Penniman was the musical director. Many members of the campus community contributed their time, energy, and expertise in order to make an outstanding production.
• Costume Design (to former adjunct faculty member Judith Johnson)

Wells students who performed in the production are Lily Cavanaugh ‘04 of Ithaca, Lauren Noyes ‘05 of Albany, New York; Kjrstn Barranti ‘04 of Youngstown, Ohio; Dana Finegan ‘04 of New Oxford, Pennsylvania; Sharon Gwozdz ’04 of Cleveland, Ohio; Diana V. Gallego ‘03 of Brooklyn, New York; and Zoe Malinchoc ‘05 of Port Charles, Minnesota, who doubled as an assistant stage manager to Nandani Sinha ‘03 of Montauk, New York.

The producers report approximately 550 people saw the play.

And Some Related Theatre News…

In addition to producing and directing The Schemings of Scapin, Professor Susan Forbes also recently adapted and directed Shakespeare’s As You Like It for the Auburn Players.

This production was performed throughout Cayuga County including the Wells College Amphitheatre in August. It was awarded two Merit Awards by the Theatre Association of New York. The production was remounted on October 3-6 at Cayuga Community College as part of a Condensed Shakespeare Festival for the Auburn Players.

October, 2002

Fiction Writer to Read at Wells College

The Wells College Visiting Writer Series is pleased to bring fiction writer Jennifer Egan to campus on Wednesday, October 30. The reading will take place in the Art Exhibit Room in Macmillan Hall at 8:00 pm. There is no charge, and the public is welcome to attend.

Egan is the author of the story collection The Emerald City and two novels, The Invisible Circus and, most recently, Look at Me, which was nominated for the National Book Award. The New York Times called Look at Me "truly moving" in its portrayal of her characters' struggles with identity, "that construct of internal self-worth and external regard, the shell that so unreliably binds us all." Egan has also written a series of compelling cover stories for The New York Times Magazine, including essays on gay priests, gays in the military, teenage fashion models, and young women prone to self-mutilation. Jennifer Egan is this year's Wells College Mildred Walker '26 Visiting Fiction Writer.

For more information about Jennifer Egan and the reading, please contact Cynthia Garrett at 315/364-3250 or visit the website at www.wells.edu. Members of the media may arrange an interview or photo session with the speaker by contacting Gwen Webber-McLeod, director of communications, at 315/364-3260.

October, 2002

Natural Disasters Focus of Sculpture Exhibit at Wells College

The work of two internationally-known artists will be on display in Wells College’s String Room Gallery this fall. The show, entitled “Intensive,” begins on Wednesday, October 16 with an opening reception for the artists from 7:00 - 9:00 pm. Refreshments will be served and the public is warmly invited to attend. The exhibit runs through Friday, December 6, and is free and open to the public for viewing.

The title "Intensive" was selected by the artists as a reference to a concentrated body of material - in this case, the actuality of disasters, both human and natural, and the media’s representations of such disasters - which should be studied intensely. This installation will contain many components from previous shows presented by the artists, as well as previously unshown work. The main body of “Intensive” contains 20 monotypes of paper which reflect the visual aftermath of natural and human made disasters. It is tempting to relate this exhibit to the events of September 11. However, Ayoung and Andrade have had a long-standing interest in the definitions of disaster, and these pieces were actually created in February 2002 during an artist residency at Lafayette College in Easton, PA. In addition to the monotypes, the artists plan to include two sheetrock paintings and two floor pieces.

Carlos Andrade is a native of Colombia. Andrade earned his B.F.A. from  the University of Rhode Island. He has exhibited his work in group and solo displays in the U.S. and internationally, including Denmark, Colombia, Monaco, and France. Todd Ayoung is originally from Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. He earned his M.F.A. in Sculpture from Yale University, and has shown his work in solo and group exhibitions in the United States and in Denmark, Austria, and England.

String Room Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Wednesday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. while school is in session. For more information about the show and the artists, please contact art professor Bill Roberts at 315/364-3237.  Members of the media may arrange an interview or photo session with the artists by contacting Gwen Webber-McLeod, director of communications, at 315/364-3260.

October, 2002
 
 

Solo Performance at Wells College Looks at Gender Boundaries

Wells College announces a special showing of a new play, “Ex Post Papa: Life as a Freelance Dyke Dad,” coming to campus on Friday, October 25.  The performance by transgendered Boston-based artist Bear is free and will begin at 7:30 pm in Phipps Auditorium, Macmillan Hall, on the Aurora campus. The public is warmly invited to attend. A reception and talk back will follow the show.

Solo artist Bear presents this humorous, smart, touching piece about life as a gender outlaw in the 21st century. An Ex Post Papa is the father that you find for yourself when it becomes clear that the gap where your real dad left off and where you want to be is too wide to jump. Ex Post Papas exists to help you address the things your own father never taught you or could never let you be. In this honest, upfront performance, Bear negotiates the boundaries surrounding gender and identity.

The show recently played at Emerson College in Boston, New York University, and at the National Gay/Lesbian Theatre Festival in Columbus, Ohio. It continues on to Hartford, Connecticut after a stop in Aurora. Ex Post Papa is sponsored by the Office of Student Activities, the Dean of Students Office, the Office of Intercultural Programs, the Departments of Theatre, Women’s Studies, and Psychology, LBQTA, and The Sex Collective.

For more information about Bear and Ex Post Papa, please contact professor Victoria Munoz at 315/364-3248 or visit the website at www.wells.edu. Members of the media may arrange an interview or photo session with the artist by contacting Gwen Webber-McLeod, director of communications, at 315/364-3260.

October, 2002

Beethoven Brings Singers Together: Local Alumnae Join in College's Choral Celebration

The incomparable Ludwig van Beethoven comes to Central New York this fall.  The Wells College Concert Choir will join the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Glee Club and a full symphonic orchestra for a performance of Beethoven’s Mass in C on Sunday, October 27, at 3:00 p.m. in the Sommer Center on the Wells campus in Aurora.  Admission is free, and the public is welcome to attend.

One hundred and seventy-five years after his death in 1827, Beethoven is hailed throughout the world one of the greatest composers of all time.  Composed in 1808 as his Opus 86, Beethoven’s middle-period Mass in C reveals the composer at the height of his creative genius and the breadth of his popular appeal.

This performance of the Mass in C, conducted by Wells Music Professor Crawford R. Thoburn, is the latest in a series of intercollegiate choral collaborations offered by the Wells Concert Choir across the northeast.

For the first time, former Wells Concert Choir members have been invited to join in a major performance on campus.  “I’m thrilled to have the chance to be a part of the Wells Choir again.  It’s such an excellent group,” says Sarah Messenger Gleason of Auburn, a member of the Class of 1988.  “I’ve missed this caliber of singing.”

 “Performing a work of this stature may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” says Professor Thoburn.  “We’re glad to share it with our local alumnae.”

A dozen Wells College graduates, from the Classes of 1973 through 2002, now living in Ithaca, Grotton, Syracuse, Cicero, Baldwinsville, Clay, Camillus, Moravia, Auburn, and Aurora will sing in the performance.  “Their willingness to give their time, joining us for our rehearsals, shows the impact Wells Choir membership has had in their lives,” says the choir’s current president Nandani Sinha ‘03.

Founded by Prof. Thoburn, the Wells Concert Choir includes over 10% of the student body every year, and now numbers more than 600 former members.  Many of them, like the Reverend Barbara Sterling Willson ‘73 of Syracuse, continued to sing in choral groups after leaving Wells.  “I wish we could have Wells Choir alumnae from all over the country join us to sing this great work,” says Wilson.  “It’s is a wonderful experience.”
 

October, 2002

Women-Empowering Textile Art on Exhibit at Wells College

Now showing in Wells College’s Long Library is a series of abstract textile portraits created by artist Noerena Abookire. This powerful installation will remain on exhibit through October 30.  Dr. Abookire will also give a talk entitled “Because I’m Your Mother: Analysis to Action” on Tuesday, October 29 at 8:00 pm in the Henry Wells Room, Long Library. She speaks on the process of looking at, healing, and celebrating the impact of messages we have received from our mothers. Both her talk and the exhibit are free and open to the public.

Because I’m Your Mother includes twenty large textile portraits which depict powerful messages that have influenced the development of today’s women. Each panel is an abstract representation of a female adorned by church hats, dress gloves, aprons, nightgowns, and swimsuits from the 1950s and 60s, mounted on drapery fabric of thick-textured, pale-pink moiré. Each of the ladies holds a kitchen towel, napkin, or handkerchief upon which is embroidered a saying that has been handed down from mother to daughter over the generations. Loaded statements such as “You don’t buy the cow if you get the milk free,” “Are you trying to make yourself as unattractive as possible?” and “Have something to eat; you’ll feel better.” verbally depict subtle and blatant messages passed along through scare tactics, threats, warnings, and genuine concerns of mothers for their daughters.

Taking her cue from the creative and resilient singer Billie Holiday, Noerena Abookire believes in the possibility of all things, as long as they are for the good of all and do no harm. Dr. Abookire is a gifted artist whose work magnifies moments in life to capture the interest of the viewer while encouraging introspection and conversation. Dr. Abookire holds a Ph.D. from New York University. She has more than 20 years experience working with students in high-risk situations in public and private schools. As artistic director and founder of the Arts Educational Theatre Company in Cleveland, she used the arts as a teaching and healing tool. She is also the founder of Creative Empowerment Workshops and serves as a consultant to a wide range of constituencies, including The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, The National Head Start Association, and the National Parks and Recreation Association. Because I’m Your Mother integrates her training as an educator, curriculum specialist, author, artist, and woman.

The Long Library hours are Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. to midnight, Friday 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturday noon to 6:00 p.m., and Sunday from noon to midnight.

For more information about Dr. Abookire and Because I’m Your Mother, please contact dean of experiential learning Terry Martinez at 315/364-3404 or visit the website at www.wells.edu. Members of the media may arrange an interview or photo session with the artist by contacting Gwen Webber-McLeod, director of communications, at 315/364-3260.

October, 2002

Assortment of Published Poets/Writers to Read at Wells College

The Wells College Visiting Writer Series is most pleased to bring to campus six poets for an evening of readings and discussion. Each author has been published by FootHills Publishing. The readings will take place in the Art Exhibit Room in Macmillan Hall on Thursday, October 17, at 7:30 pm. There is no charge, and the public is welcome to attend.

Philip Memmer's poems have appeared widely in journals such as Poetry, Poetry Northwest, and Southern Poetry Review. He lives in central New York, where he edits the poetry journal Two Rivers Review and directs the Downtown Writer's Center, a member of the YMCA National Writer's Voice. His chapbook, “For Resident,” was printed by FootHills Publishing this year.

Robert Darling, professor of English at Keuka College, has published two previous poetry chapbooks and the Twayne English Authors Series has published his study of the poetry of A.D. Hope. Professor Darling's poetry, reviews and essays have been published internationally in numerous magazines, reviews and journals, in print and on the web. “Breaking the Silence” was released in 2001 by FootHills Publishing.

Since graduating from college, Bill Pruitt has been a library clerk, physical therapy courier, loading dock receiver, co-manager of a co-op food store, storyteller, poet, and teacher of history and English as a second language. Born in St. Louis, he lives with his wife Pam in Rochester, New York. His latest, “Bold Cities, Golden Plains,” was published by FootHills this year.

M.J. Iuppa is a teacher, poet and frequent workshop leader for Writers & Books and is curator of the Genesee Reading Series. Her poems have been published widely in journals, anthologies, and newspapers, including Poetry, Yankee, New Letters, Press, and Tar River Poetry. She teaches poetry and creative writing at St. John Fisher College and in area schools. “Temptations” was a 2001 FootHills Publishing release.

Bruce Bennett has had four chapbooks published by FootHills Publishing: “To Be a Heron,” “I Never Danced With Mary Beth,” “Garretman,” and most recently, “Hey, Diddle Diddle.” Bruce is a professor of English at Wells College and recently served as the director of the Book Arts Center there.

Michael Czarnecki is the founder and editor of FootHills Publishing. The company is located in Kanona, New York, near the town of Bath. He started the small press in 1986 and has since published 48 chapbooks and books by over 30 poets. Michael makes his living as a poet and publisher. In the last few years he’s given well over 100 readings in more than 20 different states.

For more information about the readings, please contact Bruce Bennett at 315/364-3228 or visit the website at www.wells.edu. To arrange an interview or photo session with the poets or publisher, contact Gwen Webber-McLeod, director of communications, at 315/364-3260.

October, 2002

The Afro-Brazilian Dance Company Brings High Energy Performance to Wells College

The Wells College Arts & Lectures Series is proud to present The Brazz Dance Theatre for one night only, Saturday, October 19, at 7:30 pm in Phipps Auditorium. The public is welcome to attend this bright and colorful presentation. Prices are $3 for students and children, $6 for seniors and the Wells community, and $10 for the general public. Tickets are available from the college bookstore or the box office the week preceding the show, and at the door the evening of the performance. Please call the box office at 315/364-3456 to reserve tickets.

The Brazz Dance Theatre of Northampton, Massachusetts, features a wild, upbeat fusion of Afro-Brazilian and contemporary dance styles. The troupe uses a broad range of music compositions, ranging from Bach to samba, to reflect rich Brazilian themes and subjects as seen through the eyes of a world traveler. The result is a vibrant piece that brings about a strong sense of embodied cultural experience mixed with human universality.

Augusto Soledade, a performer and choreographer, is also the founder and director of The Brazz Dance Theatre. A native of Bahia, Brazil, Soledade currently serves as a full time assistant professor of dance at Smith College in Massachusetts, and was a guest artist and instructor at Wells College in 1998. He received his MFA in Dance from SUNY Brockport, and has taught at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, the University of Rochester, Monroe Community College, and SUNY-Morrisville. His dance training started at the Federal University of Bahia, from which he also earned a degree in journalism. Soledade was invited to perform as a contestant for the First International Ballet and Modern Dance competition held in Japan in 1992. He has performed extensively in Brazil, Trinidad/Tobago, and throughout New York State.

For more information about Augusto Soledade and The Brazz Dance Theatre, please contact the Office of Student Activities at 315/364-3330 or visit the website at www.wells.edu. To arrange an interview or photo session with the artist or troupe, contact Gwen Webber-McLeod, director of communications, at 315/364-3260.

October, 2002

Earlier Articles in Wells College News:

September, 2002	September, 2000. - May.,2001	May,1998	May - June,1997
August, 2002	September, 1999 - August, 2000	April,1998	March - April,1997
September, 2001. - May.,2002	August,1999	March,1998	February,1997
	May,1999	February,1998	November - December,1996
	April,1999	January,1998	October,1996
	February -March, 1999	December,1997	September,1996
	January,1999	November,1997	June - Aug.,1996
	Fall,1998	October,1997	May,1996
	August,1998	September,1997	April,1996
	June -July, 1998	July - August, 1997	February - March, 1996